Pastor turned long-haul trucker, Mack, struggles with grief and perceived failures as a minister while he is confronted with a mysterious hitchhiker, smugglers, and a determined killer. After an unbearable tragedy strikes his life, he sells everything he owns and buys a new Peterbilt truck, returning to the trade he learned decades earlier. Hoping for some windshield therapy and peace of mind … therapy and peace of mind behind the wheel of his new rig, Mack gets neither after God nudges him to pick up a hitchhiker near the Jordan State Prison outside Mack’s childhood home of Pampa, Texas.
When his world is ripped apart, he seeks to run away from it all, going as far as to cut off communication with all but a handful of people. But he is pursued by God, who will not let him go. Unbeknownst to Mack, God is equipping His servant with tools to handle events his past education and experience could never have prepared him for.
The story unfolds as the hitchhiker enters Mack’s Peterbilt. The man reminds Mack of his father, a hard living, hard drinking oilfield roughneck who died in prison. God begins to do a work in Mack’s heart while Mack seeks to minister to his new passenger. But Mack soon rues the day he let the hitchhiker into his truck.
His old life in ruins now, Mack learns he has angered a new enemy who threatens to destroy his life on the road as well. Mack suspects he is being followed and is in the sights of a killer who plots a revenge no one could have seen coming.
God works His mysterious way in Mack’s life steamroller-style all the way to an ending that will leave the reader thinking about it long after reading The End at the bottom of the last page.
Rough Way to the High Way is the first of a series of novels about Mack’s adventures on the road as lives are transformed through his new ministry. The first life to be transformed as Rough Way to the High Way develops appears to be that of the hitchhiker. But God is working in Mack’s life all along, preparing him for a new ministry that will transform lives across the country.
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White Hats vs Black Hats
Conspiracy theories about union thugs and agribusiness and more than a little bit of Christian faith. This high action story has the pages just fly by. The plot is intricate and well done. There are some lighter, humorous moments, but it is a lot of action and a bit of philosophy. It is very similar to ‘The Renegade’ TV show (92-97) about a Harley riding guy who is always fixing things for others while he seeks solace in his heart. I would love to read more adventure about this truck driver. I received this ARC book for free from Book Sirens and this is my honest review.
After the tragic death of his wife, pastor Mack returns to his former job as a truck driver, and heads for Chicago with a load of swinging meat. He has barely left Pampa when he picks up a hitchhiker and things start to get out of control with a blowout, a shooting on the highway, smugglers and mysterious notes.
Based on the cover and the title, I did not think this book would be for me… but it turned out to be a pretty good action and adventure story with great main characters (Mack and Barb) and a lot of humour. I especially liked the way the author named some of the characters by their appearance (Officer Pipe Cleaner, Dumpster Man, Sugar Dumpling, …).
But the religious references were a bit overdone, and there was a twist towards the end of the book that made the big reveal that ties everything together rather chaotic and far-fetched.
I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
This was in intriguing read. Mack was a Pastor who, after the murder of his wife, went back to being a long-haul trucker. Throughout the many incidents, danger, near-death, that he experienced from Pampa to Chicago, he helped spread the news about God and found his own way back to God. With the help of a Texas Ranger, an FBI agent, a diner waitress, an ex-con hitchhiker, and his boss, he worked to solve a conspiracy of terrorism. There were moments that the story dragged a bit, and there were moments that I had tears in my eyes. I kept turning pages to see where this would go, and I enjoyed that journey along with Mack.
I received a copy of this story through CBR Services, and this is my unsolicited review.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story of Robert “Mack” McClain and his journey in the world of 18-wheelers to find the peace of mind he lost when his wife died. Mack decides that what he needs is “windshield therapy. And so begins one more exciting journey as he tries to get a load of “swinging meat” delivered to Chicago on time.
The story keeps the reader guessing about where it will go next and provides plenty of twists, turns and surprises. The characters feel like real-life people that you may know in your own life. The dialogue feels genuine and the story moves smoothly. And while it is obvious this is just the first in a series, this particular part of the story is closed out well, without leaving the reader hanging. (I HATE cliffhangers!)
My favorite part of the book was that Mr. McCoy proved it is possible to write a really good, suspenseful mystery without resorting to explicit, gratuitous sex, and an over-abundance of profanity. It was such a nice change. I will be looking for the other books in this series and will read them as quickly as possible.
I obtained an ARC through BookSirens and would like to thank them and the author for the opportunity to read Rough Way to the High Way. This is my honest opinion.